"Antifa Hellfire": Amid Local Uncertainty, White House Attempts to Justify National Guard Invasion of Portland

"It's been a whirlwind few days since Portlanders found out about President Trump's plan to send the National Guard into the city, with a lot of unknowns about what's happening and when. Much of the information about the impending invasion of Portland has been delivered by local elected leaders, not through official White House communication. On Tuesday morning, the White House published a press release boasting about Trump's decision to deploy federal resources to "crush violent radical left terrorism in Portland.""

"The White House article is light on details about what Portlanders can actually expect to happen on the ground over the coming days. But it does contain more information about Trump's apparent rationale for sending troops into Portland, as well as a plethora of hyperlinks to far-right media organizations in an attempt to bolster the argument that the "Radical Left" has a "reign of terror" over the city."

"Trump's decision to narrow in on Portland and its supposed "Antifa-led hellfire" comes amid a national fixation on left-wing organizations and activists. Last week, the president signed an executive order designating antifa as a domestic terrorist organization. The order appears to be partially inspired by Charlie Kirk's murder earlier this month, which Trump and other Republican politicians have cited, without evidence, as an example of growing political violence on the left."

Portlanders face uncertainty after news of a plan to send the National Guard into the city, with many unknowns about timing and operations. Much information about the impending deployment has come from local elected leaders rather than official White House channels. A White House press release framed the intervention as an effort to "crush violent radical left terrorism in Portland" while providing few concrete details. The release linked to far-right media to bolster claims and described local unrest as "premeditated anarchy." The president signed an executive order labeling antifa a domestic terrorist organization, citing an unrelated murder without evidence.

Read at Portland Mercury